


Save You Tonight

by ltomlinstagram



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mistaken Identity, batman!liam, catwoman!danielle, greengoblin!zayn, loislane/gwenstacy!eleanor, robin!niall, spiderman!harry, superhero au, superman!louis, watson!ed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-12-07 01:25:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/742548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltomlinstagram/pseuds/ltomlinstagram
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Forever Unfinished.<br/>Superhero AU in which Louis is oblivious and stupidly in love, Harry sees the truth and just wants to fit in, Zayn just wants revenge and a certain blonde-haired kid who is NOT his paper boy thank you very much, Niall wants to prove he isn't just some incapable kid in tights, and training his sidekick might be harder than Liam thought. Oh, and Ed is Liam's butler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Harry wants to be accepted into the superhero world and Zayn to stop partying. Louis wants Eleanor to stop asking him out and for Harry to take the pictures he was asked to take.  
> Word Count: 1,439

“Ugh,” Harry lifted his head off the textbook lying open on his desk.  
“Morning sleepyhead!” Zayn chirped from his relaxed position on Harry’s couch before bringing his hastily-rolled joint back to his lips.  
“The hell are you doing here?” Harry muttered at him, his voice raspy and low.  
“Didn’t feel like going home last night. Thought I’d just crash here.” Zayn took another long drag.  
“Suppose it’s better than going home with another Nameless,” Harry reasoned, wiping the sleep from his eyes and stretching in his chair.  
“They do actually have names ya know,”  
“Doesn’t mean you ever remember what they are.” Harry countered, raising an eyebrow, daring him to argue.  
“At least I go out and have fun,” Zayn grumbled.  
“I have fun,” Harry defended himself, pouting a bit.  
“Mate, you fell asleep studying last night.” Zayn pointed out. “I mean, you literally got exhausted from learning. In what universe is that fun?”  
Harry didn’t exactly get ‘exhausted from studying’ though; he was out for the majority of the night trying to stop criminals. Of course, Harry didn’t correct him; Zayn had a deep hatred for Harry’s secret alter-ego. But who wouldn’t hate the guy who killed their father? Instead, Harry simply got up to get dressed, snatching the joint from Zayn’s mouth and putting it out in a spare mug on the way.  
“Hey!” Zayn complained. “I didn’t even have a buzz yet!”  
“Mate, you’ve really got to stop this.” Harry lectured him. “All these drugs and parties and sleeping around with countless Namelesses… It’s just gotten ridiculous.”  
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Zayn crossed his arms, only slightly irritated. He’d heard Harry’s speech before. “It’s almost a quarter to nine.”  
“What!?” Harry practically shouted, glancing at the nearest clock. “Shit, shit, shit.” He mumbled to himself, pulling a t-shirt from the floor over his head. “I’m going to be so late.”  
“Calm down, you’ve got plenty of time.” Zayn sat up, watching his best friend stumble over his shoes while trying to tug them on.  
“Not all of us have personal drivers, Zayn.” Harry shrugged his coat on and slung his bag over his shoulder.  
“Bye babycakes! Have a good day at work!” Zayn called at Harry’s retreating form.  
“Fuck off!” Harry called back, too stressed for teasing.  
~  
“Sorry El, I’ve already got plans tonight.” Louis lied, peering around her to see if Harry had gotten there yet.  
“Aw but you said that yesterday,” She pouted. “And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that-“  
“Sorry but I’ve just been really busy.” Louis cut her off. “Maybe some other time.”  
“Fine,” Eleanor huffed. “But you can’t avoid me forever Tomlinson.” She put on a flirty smile and playfully slapped his chest, which he tried not to visibly flinch at.  
“Louis!” Harry’s husky voice carried across the office lobby.  
“Harry! I’m glad you’re here; I wanted to talk to you about that one article-“ Louis let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t like Harry to be late and he desperately needed a way out of the uncomfortable situation Eleanor had trapped him in.  
“Don’t forget the meeting later,” Eleanor gave Louis the memo that caused the whole conversation.  
“What did she want?” Harry glared after Eleanor, who was swinging her hips purposely and glancing back to see if Louis was watching.  
“She asked me out for drinks again,” Louis rubbed his neck. “I’m just glad you came to save me.” He smiled a bit at the inside joke he had with himself.  
“Help me put my bike away?” Harry lifted an eyebrow suggestively, nodding towards his office. Well, it was just a closet with a desk but Harry stuck a piece of paper with his name on it on the door and claimed it as his own. Louis followed him in hurriedly and tried not to giggle as Harry struggled to get the kickstand of his bike to work. As soon as it did though, Harry turned around determinedly and pushed Louis against the door roughly, his lips attacking the older boy’s. Louis let Harry hold his hands up by his head; Louis could definitely get loose without a problem but he didn’t dare let Harry know that.  
“What brought this on?” Louis managed in between kisses.  
“That bitch hitting on you,” Harry moved on to his neck, biting the skin that he could never seem to mark (‘I just don’t bruise easily babe’ was always Louis’ explanation). “Long night…busy morning.”  
“Stay up studying again?” Louis tilted his head back, allowing Harry to access the spot below his ear easier.  
“Something like that,” Harry replied and Louis couldn’t stop his memories from the previous night from rushing into his head. He brushed it off and focused on how incredibly skilled Harry was with his lips. Harry tugged a few of the buttons on Louis’s shirt open and Louis grabbed his hands and held them to his chest.  
“Babe we can’t right now.” Louis panted. He could hear Mr. Jameson send Eleanor to fetch both himself and Harry.  
“But,” Harry got out before Louis peppered his face with kisses.  
“Later.” He promised. Louis was acutely aware of Eleanor’s heels clicking as she left his office, which was on the other side of the floor. “Show me those pictures you were talking about.”  
“Alright,” Harry gave in, moving to sit behind his desk. He opened his bag to take out his macbook and camera, which he connected a cord between the two to pull up his most recent photographs.  
“These are all of that spider kid,” Louis frowned, scanning the screen.  
“He’s not a kid!” Harry argued, a bit too offended for an average citizen who had no connection whatsoever to the city’s newest superhero. Louis didn’t notice though, too focused on finding what he wanted.  
“I thought I asked you to get some of Superman and Batman? That’s who my story is about.” Louis buttoned up his shirt where Harry had tried to undress him.  
“I think there’s a few of Batman and his sidekick. Spiderman got like five bad guys last night.” Harry bit his lower lip.  
“Right but Superman and Batman stopped a bomb from going off in city hall. I bet Spiderkid only stopped minor crimes, like getting someone’s purse back or a petty theft from Tesco or whatever. Superman has the better story here.” Louis ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.  
“That’s only cause no one calls Spiderman when something big happens. They could work as a team is Batman and Superman let him in on this stuff.” Harry countered.  
“Louis? Harry?” Eleanor stuck her head in the tiny office. “Mr. Jameson wants to see you.” She shot another flirty smile at Louis before clicking away to her own desk.  
“Come on,” Louis offered Harry his hand. “We’ll discuss it later.” Harry took it and gave it a small squeeze before letting it go as they walked out of Harry’s office to their editor’s.  
“Mr. Jameson?” Louis knocked on his door and opened it a bit, not stepping in. “You wanted to see us?”  
“Come in, come in.” Their boss waved them in. “There’s a bank robbery happening across town and I’m willing to bet that some superheroes are going to make an appearance. I need my dynamic duo to get the story, got it? Hurry up, I don’t want the Inquirer getting there first.” He went back to scrolling on his computer before looking up at them. “Well go!” Louis and Harry scrambled out of his office, Louis to his cubicle to get his tape recorder and Harry to his office to get his camera. They met back up in the lobby, rushing onto the elevator.  
“Do you think we should-” Harry started.  
“Let’s split up.” Louis suggested, interrupting him.  
“Exactly.” Harry nodded firmly, watching the floor numbers decrease.  
“To cover more ground,” Louis rationalized.  
“Of course.” Harry stepped off as soon as the doors slid open, heading to his favorite secluded back ally that was always conveniently empty. Louis took off in the opposite direction, his form literally a blur as he sped towards the bank, stripping off his clothes and glasses to reveal his skintight suit, running his fingers through his hair to make it fall in front of his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forever Unfinished.  
> Superhero AU in which Louis is oblivious and stupidly in love, Harry sees the truth and just wants to fit in, Zayn just wants revenge and a certain blonde-haired kid who is NOT his paper boy thank you very much, Niall wants to prove he isn't just some incapable kid in tights, and training his sidekick might be harder than Liam thought. Oh, and Ed is Liam's butler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashley (emblemplease.tumblr) actually wrote this chapter. We were supposed to be co-authors but she backed out.  
> Niall is not Zayn's paper boy, changes in the shrubbery while Ed and Liam watch, and fanboys over other superheros.  
> Word Count: 1,912  
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated.

Niall pedaled faster, willing his legs to push harder. He weaved through the groups of people on the street, calling, “Sorry!” behind him every few seconds. He came to a hill and stood to get up the incline. When the ground leveled out again, Niall was breathless. He hopped off his bike and decided to push it until he had caught his breath.  
“Oi, Blondie!” A voice yelled, causing Niall to pause. “Blonde with the bike, up here!” He glanced up to see an older boy leaning over a balcony. The balcony boy had dark, messy hair and a thin, white t-shirt on that hugged his torso tightly. Niall shielded his eyes from the sun so he could get a better look at the stranger above him.  
“Are… are you talking to me?” He yelled to the dark-haired boy who rolled his eyes in response.  
“No, the other blonde with the bike!” The stranger shouted sarcastically. “Yes, you!”  
“Uh, what do you want?” Niall asked.  
“You see that paper by the door?” The dark-haired boy pointed towards the rolled up newspaper at the foot of a large front door.  
“You know I’m not the paper boy, right?” Niall shouted up to him. The front door opened and a very flustered looking brunette boy rushed out with a bike in his hand. He pushed his curls out of his eyes as he frantically tried to jump on his bike and head down the street.  
“Bye Harry!” The boy on the balcony called to the curly haired boy on the bike who ignored him. Balcony boy looked back down at Niall with an annoyed expression on his face. “I know you’re not the paper boy,” He groaned, “But just listen to what I’m saying: pick up the paper and throw it to me.”  
“Why don’t you just walk down the stair and get it yourself?” Niall answered back.  
“Why would I walk all the way downstairs for a paper when I have you right there to throw it up to me?” The boy crossed his arms over his chest. Niall sighed and let out the kickstand on his bike before moving over to the door to grab the paper. He stepped back to get into a good position and threw the newspaper. The balcony boy caught it with ease.  
“Now was that too much to ask for?” The boy called to Niall before disappearing from the railing of the balcony.  
“You’re welcome,” Niall grumbled before putting his kickstand back up, hopping on his bike, and continuing down the street. He hurried through the streets since the rude, balcony boy had made him late. He pedaled hard, turning into the back entrance of the Payne Mansion. Niall pulled off to the side of the house and hid his bike behind one of the large bushes.  
~  
“Sir,” Liam’s butler, Ed, called from the security tape room. “The boy has arrived, he’s changing in the shrubbery.”  
“What do you mean he’s changing in the shrubbery?” Liam scoffed, entering the small room to see what Ed was talking about. He could see the young, blonde boy digging through his book bag to find his black mask that covered his eyes. He put it on and then began to shed his clothes, revealing his red, green, and yellow suit underneath. “Doesn’t he know we have security cameras?” Liam rolled his eyes.  
“Perhaps he didn’t think that through.” Ed shrugged. Liam sighed, placing his head in his hands.  
“Why did I agree to this?” He muttered.  
“Granted, he does have quite a lot to learn but once you’re finished with his training, you’ll be thankful for all the help.” Ed tried to reason. Liam was quiet, lost in thought.  
“Alright,” He finally spoke as he watched the blonde stuff his clothes in his book bag. “But we’re gonna have to make him an actual suit because that leotard and those tights won’t protect him for shit.”  
“Will do, Sir.” Ed answered with a nod. “And should I conduct a background scan on the boy while you two are downstairs?”  
“Sure,” Liam said, heading down the hall already to change.  
~  
Niall hid his things in the bushes and hurried around the side of the house to the correct place. He pushed on one of the bricks and waited for the wall to slide out of place and reveal the hidden stairwell. Niall took a deep breath before descending down the dark hallway. He heard the wall slide back into place and dim lights on the sides of the stairwell lit up to show the way. Niall went down many flights of stairs. His mind was racing with excitement. He was going to working alongside Batman. The Batman. Visions of the two, fighting crime and kicking ass, danced through his mind. Niall saw a brief flash of black before he was tackled to the ground.  
“Rule number one,” A rough voice spoke and Niall looked up to see the man he was here to see, Batman. “Always be on your guard.”  
“Right,” Niall choked out, standing up and brushed himself off.  
“Follow me,” Liam said in a deep voice, motioning for the young blonde to come with him. Niall did as he was told and followed the man in the black suit. Liam pulled up his large computer screens, giving the machines a second to whir to life. "Have you been thinking about what we talked about last week?" Liam asked in a husky voice.  
"Erm... about a name?" Niall paused to think, "I've got a few on my mind but I'll have to test them out while we're in action." Liam rolled his eyes.  
"Well make sure you figure something out soon because I'm getting tired of seeing ‘Batman and his sidekick in tights’ in the newspaper. Anyways, I've been working on designing a new suit for you."  
"What's wrong with this one?" Niall sounded offended. It had taken him a long time to find all the pieces to complete his outfit.  
"Spandex can only protect you from so much." Liam said, pulling up his design for his sidekick’s new suit.  
"Whoa..." Niall breathed, leaning in to get a better look at the screen in front of him. The suit was metal like Batman’s but it had red and green on it just like the outfit Niall had on. "That's mine?"  
"I put together a few other designs if you'd like to see them but yes, it would be your suit."  
"I... I like this one..." Niall couldn't stop staring. "Can I have this one?"  
"I'll start ordering the parts." Liam smirked, satisfied that the young blonde didn't take much convincing.  
"Sir!" Ed, the butler’s, voice rang over the intercom, echoing through the dark room. "A call was just received about a robbery going on at the bank downtown. Your assistance was requested!"  
"Thanks Ed, I’m on it." Liam answered in his raspy voice and jumped up from the desk. Niall cautiously followed him down a dimly lit hallway.  
"This'll be my first real job!" Niall spoke excitedly. "A bank robbery is a big step up from small, gas station thieves!" Liam had almost forgotten about Niall. It was too late to send him home and he knew the young boy would just follow him to the bank anyway. He turned sharply on his heel, coming face to face with Niall.  
"This isn't a game. This is serious, and you treat it as so, do you understand?" Liam demanded harshly.  
"Ye-yes, Sir." Niall gulped.  
"Well then let's go." Liam pressed a button on his suit that opened a wall on their right, revealing the sleek, black batmobile.  
"This is gonna be... awesome!" Niall whispered causing Liam to roll his eyes.  
~  
"Six armed men are inside the bank; they've killed two people already and are holding hostages. We are requesting all units; I repeat all units report to the downtown bank immediately." Liam turned down the police scanner as he weaved through the cars on the street. Niall was almost overflowing with excitement, he could hardly contain himself. This was going to be his first, public appearance. Before this he'd only been with Batman to gas stations and dollar stores to stop some sorry, cheap guy with his hand in his pocket threatening the old lady at the counter. Honestly, Niall was growing sick of it but he definitely wasn't going to complain to Batman.  
"Listen to me carefully," Liam spoke up as they drew closer to the bank. "You stay behind me, remember everything I've taught you so far, and keep your head low. These men will actually have weapons and it's a lot more than you're used to." Niall nodded to show that he was listening. The batmobile pulled into the parking lot behind the bank which was filled with cop cars and curious news reporters. The cameras turned towards them as the doors of the car slowly opened to reveal Batman.  
"He's here... Oh my god... Batman's here..." Whispers ran through the crowd. When Niall stepped out a lot of, "Who the hell is that?...why does he have a kid with him?...what is he wearing?" could be heard.  
"Batman! Batman, over here!" The reporters screamed at Liam but he ignored them.  
"What's that in the sky?!" Someone yelled and everyone's attention was turned upwards. "It's... It's Superman!" Cheers were lifted from the crowd as the man in red and blue landed on the ground. Liam smiled as he recognized his friend.  
"Nice to see you again," Superman said in a friendly voice.  
"Same to you," Liam nodded.  
"You're... You're superman!" Niall spoke up in a shocked voice.  
"Who's this?" He asked Batman, turning his attention to the blonde.  
"This is my... trainee..." Liam sighed as he watched his friend shake Niall's hand.  
"What's your name, kid?" Superman asked. Niall opened his mouth to answer but was soon cut off by Batman.  
"He hasn't picked one yet..."  
"It is a big decision. I mean, that's what everyone will know you as... Forever." Superman nodded. Niall couldn't believe that he was actually talking to the Superman. Batman moved to the trunk of the batmobile and opened it to reveal a large collection of various weapons. He began to hook things to his suit: smoke bombs, a bat-a-rang, and a few guns.  
"What about me?" Niall spoke up. "I need a weapon." Liam smirked as he dug through his trunk and found the perfect thing for his sidekick. "Pepper spray, are you serious?!" Superman stifled his laughter and Niall's cheeks grew red.  
"You haven't been trained with any weapons yet." Batman shrugged. "It's either this or nothing."  
"Fine," Niall frowned, tucking the small bottle into his waistband:  
"What's that moving up on the roof?!" Someone screamed and everyone squinted to get a look. A man in a red and blue suit crawled across the building, moving towards one of the air ducts.  
"Spiderman." Superman growled.   
"Who?" Liam asked.  
"You haven't heard about Spiderman?" Niall asked in a shocked tone. "He’s the newest superhero! He has this web slinger thing and he can climb walls and oh man, he is so cool."  
"That kid thinks he runs the whole damn city!" Superman snarled. "Cheeky bastard..."  
"We'll I guess we better get moving then." Batman nodded, leading the other two towards the bank.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forever Unfinished.  
> Superhero AU in which Louis is oblivious and stupidly in love, Harry sees the truth and just wants to fit in, Zayn just wants revenge and a certain blonde-haired kid who is NOT his paper boy thank you very much, Niall wants to prove he isn't just some incapable kid in tights, and training his sidekick might be harder than Liam thought. Oh, and Ed is Liam's butler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry screws up the plan and Niall can't come up with a name.  
> Word Count: 1,207

Harry moved slowly, trying to spread out his weight in the confined space. Every so often, he'd press his ear to the bottom of the air duct to listen for voices to gauge how close he was. Eventually, he heard a rough, commanding voice just below his position and undid the tiny screws at the corners of the metal plate he was kneeling on. While he was unscrewing the third one, it gave weigh under him and he went crashing down onto the person with the low voice, knocking them both to the floor. Fortunately, the person happened to be a good amount larger than he was so it broke his fall.  
"Damnit kid; why can't you just stay out of this?" A frustrated voice spoke low in his ear. Harry blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the dizziness that suddenly overcame him. He was against a wall, a wall that wasn't even close to where he had fallen, and there was a warm body pressed up against him.  
"Wha-" Harry started but the person in front of him spoke first.  
"You should just stay home with Mummy and Daddy; you aren't old enough to deal with these things." The shorter man sneered.  
'Superman,' Harry thought, 'Superman is pinning me against a wall.' Harry wouldn't admit it if anyone ever asked but, he didn't really mind it that much. He actually sort of...enjoyed it. He knew Superman was insulting him but he couldn't find it within himself to take it too personally. Harry's gaze drifted past Superman's face, which was still fairly close to his, to a young blonde boy in spandex helping up a muscular figure shrouded in a black cloak up off the floor.   
"You've just ruined everything," Superman growled, narrowing his alarmingly blue eyes in a glare at Harry.  
"Did I just fall on Batman?" Harry gaped and mentally kicked himself at his stupidity. Superman rolled his eyes and turned around, walking toward Batman. It wasn't Harry's fault Superman's bum was in his line of sight or that it was only covered by a thin piece of material. Harry rationalized that the older superhero was just begging to be checked out.   
"We, the professionals, are going to go find the hostages. You can stay here and guard the money. Do you think you'll be able to handle that?" Superman asked condescendingly, glancing back at Harry.   
"Uh," He mumbled, still not being able to tear his eyes from Superman's body.  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"   
"What? Nothing. Sorry. I can handle it." Harry shook his head a bit, focusing on the other man's face.  
"Batman's sidekick will be staying with you in case it gets too hard for you." Superman threw in before storming out of the room with Batman following.  
"Uh...Hey mate." The blonde kid rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  
"Who are you again?" Harry questioned politely.  
"I am...Batboy." The blonde grinned proudly. "Wait no...that's stupid." He muttered, looking down. "Do you think that name's stupid?" He met Harry's eyes hopefully.  
"Erm...”  
"It is, isn't it? I don't have a name right now." The blonde admitted.  
"Oh, okay then." Harry avoided his gaze and rubbed his head where it had been hit against the wall.   
"This is the first time Batman has let me help him with a real crime." The blonde chatted along happily. "I've been in training. I'm still not done yet. I need a name and I'm getting a new suit."  
"Good for you," Harry eyed his spandex, noting that it wouldn't protect him from anything.   
"I'm pretty excited. It's only a matter of time before the papers start printing stuff about me too." The boy smiled wistfully and leaned against the wall.   
"Oh yeah?" Harry perked up. "Why do you say that?"  
"Batman says he and Superman are always getting interviewed. He says if I stick around, they'll start noticing me too." He smiled wistfully to himself. "But I'm not doing this just for fame!" He backtracked, shaking his head earnestly. "I don't want to be a helpless civilian."  
"But of course," Harry nodded understandingly.  
~  
"This will be simple and over quickly if we stick to the plan," Batman finished explaining. Louis agreed and looked through the door again, telling Batman the exact locations of the robbers. There were six of them but that's nothing they couldn't handle. Batman stood up and unclipped an item from his belt, signaling he was ready. Louis grasped the edges of the door and pulled it off of its hinges, tossing it aside while Batman threw the smoke bomb in the middle of the other room. Louis could see through it easily and went straight for the hostages that were sitting on the ground. He picked up three at a time and moved them on the other side of the long counter so if any stray bullets were fired, they'd be safe.   
Batman had already knocked one robber out cold and disarmed two others. Another raises his gun, taking aim, a sneer on his face. Louis moves in front of it just as the man pulls the trigger, knowing the bullet will just bounce off of him, and squeezes his eyes shut (sure, he knows he isn't going to get hurt but he still hates seeing metal shooting towards him). He waits for the impact, the bit of pressure telling him that it's okay to move out of the way but it doesn't come. He opens one eye to see a lanky kid in a red and blue suit hunched over in front of him, hissing through the pain, clutching his leg.  
~  
Harry’s hanging upside-down from his web, feeling the blood rush to his head. The blonde kid is sitting against the wall watching him with an amused smile etched on his face.  
"I wonder what's happening out there," Harry thinks aloud.  
"Batman's probably kicking ass. Superman's probably saving people." The blonde kid picked at his tights.  
"And we're in here doing nothing." Harry frowned, swinging himself side-to-side.   
"This sucks," The blonde kid agreed.  
"So why don't we do something about it?" Harry mused.  
"I'm sure they have everything under control though," He reasoned just before a huge crash echoed through the room.  
"Oh really?" Harry let himself down. "And you're quite sure about that?" He strode to the door purposefully.   
"If they need our help they'll call for us." The blonde boy moved in front of him defensively.  
"What if they can't call for help? What if somehow the robbers got the upper hand? They are armed. They've already killed two hostages." Harry reached around him for the handle, opening the door. The first thing Harry noticed was the smoke-filled scene from the opening in the doorway. Once it cleared, all Harry could see was the small black gun that was pointing right at Batman. Harry broke into a run, almost tripping on a discarded door and glanced up again, only to see that Superman had positioned himself in front of Batman, in front of the gun. Harry shot his web onto the ceiling and swung from it without thinking, landing right as the man pulled the trigger.


End file.
